Display and sample case.



No. 643,570. Patented Feb. I3, I900.

F. K. UNDERWOOD & L. ETHAWKINS.

DISPLAY -AND SAMPLE CASE.

(Application filed Sept. 14, 1899.)

(No Model.)

, Hilly/Mau aww/wbo z 7 rank/i. lllldezwooab ethane/133 UNITED STATESPATENT FRANK K. UnnERwooD AND- LILLIE E. HAWKINS, or .OSKALOOSA, IOWA.

DISPLAY AND SAMPLE CASE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of illletters Patent No. 643,570, datedFebruary 13, 1900. Application filed September 14,1899. $erial No.730,513. (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, FRANK K. UNDER- WOOD and LILLIE E. HAWKINS,citizens of the United States, residing at Oskaloosa, in the county ofMahaska and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Display and Sample Cases; and we do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to exhibitors for displaying goods and holdingthem in convenient form for ready disclosure to a prospective customer.

The device is'designed most especially for the use of commercialtravelers or agents handling confectionery, fancy cakes, and small goodsof every variety, said goods being placed in separate trays which have asuperposed relation 'and are connected to telescopically-related tubularsections, which hold the trays in fixed and determinate relation whenseparated to display the goods.

The device involves a light and compact construction, and the trays aredisposed so as to equalize the load upon opposite sides of a verticalaxis and prevent the toppling over of the exhibitor when extended todisplay the goods or contents of the several trays.

The exhibitor consists, essentially, of a series of superposed trays,tubes attached to the respective trays and having a telescopic relationand a limited movement. in each direction, and an extensible supportcomposed of telescoping tubular sections and provided with interlockingmeans to hold the sections when extended and pushed together.

For a full description of the invention and the merits thereof and alsoto acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means foreffecting the result reference is to be had to the following descriptionand the drawings hereto attached.

While the essential and-characteristic features of the invention arenecessarily susceptible of modification, still they preferred embodimentof the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is an end elevation of an exhibitor constructed in accordancewith the invention, the trays resting upon one another. Fig.

2 is a vertical section, the trays being sepa-' rated. Fig. 3 is adetail View of the upper end portions of the jnner and outer tubularsections, showing the "connection between them. Fig. 4 is a plan sectionshowing a tray of a length corresponding to the desired distance betweenthe trays when separated and the portion necessary to provide anoverlapping joint between the endsof adjacent tubes. The trays aresecured to the tubes in any convenient and substantial manner and arearranged for convenience so as to incline outwardly and downwardly fromtheir inner sides, which displays the goods to the best possibleadvantage when the trays are separated. The trays are provided in twoseries,

which are disposed upon opposite sides of the,

tube or vertical axis of the device, thereby equalizing the loadandpreventing the provision of an unstable structure. Correspondingtransversely-alining trays are separated by a partition 3, whichprevents the mixing of the goods in the ordinary handling of theexhibitor and are secured to the upper ends of the respective tubes 2.This construction admits of the lower ends of the tubes sliding withinthe upper ends of the relatively lower tubes next in order.

The tubes 2 progressively decrease in diameter from the lowest to thehighest toadmit of their telescopic relation and are limited in theirdownward movement by the trays l settling upon one another and in theirupward movement by stops or inner annular shoulders l at the lower endsof the tubes engaging with other stops or annular shoulders 5 at theupper ends of the tubes. By having the tubes 2 polygonal in transversesection Fig. 6 isa cross-section of they are prevented from relativeturning and the trays maintain a fixed relation, whether separated orclosed upon one another, and by having them of circular outline thetrays can be turned when separated so as to bring any required trayopposite the observer for inspection without requiring the turning ofthe exhibitor or the person changing position to view the goods of theremotely-situated tray.

The support for holding the trays separated consists of telescopingtubes 6 of greater length than the tray-tubes 2. A base or stand 7 isattached to the lowest tubes 6 and 2, and

the innermost or uppermost tubes 6 and 2 are connected so that a pullupon the top tube 6 will extend the tubes of the two series and separatethe trays. The sections of the support have interlockin means to holdthem extended and telescoped, the interlocking means being brought intoplay by relatively turning the sections 6. The top or innermostsectionG, as also the intermediate section or sections, has a-lateralstud or projection 8, which operates in a longitudinal slot 9 in theside of the tube 6 in which the respective tube-section 6 slides andlimits the movement of the section in each direction. A lateral notch 10extends from the upper end of each slot 9, and a corresponding notch 11projects from the lower end of each of the longitudinal slots. Vhen theprojections 9 are seated in the notches 11, the tube or support sections6 are held telescoped, and when seated in the notches 10 said parts areheld extended. The telescoping sections of the support are locked andreleased by a relative turning of the sections, which causes theprojections 8 to enter or leave the notches l0 and 11, according to thedirection of rotation of the sections.

The base or stand 7 has a tubular extension 12, to which the lower endof the bottom tube 2 is fitted, and an inner extension 13, to which thelower end of the bottom section of the support is secured, preferably bya screwthread joint.

A collar 14; is applied to the top tray-tube 2 and has an outer flange15. A ring 18 or finger-grip is fitted to the collar below the flangeand is free to turn thereon and has vertical ears 16 at diametricallyopposite points which project above the flange 15 and are transverselyapertured to receive a ring 17, the latter passing through an opening inthe upper end of the relative top tube 6 of the extensible support.

hen the support and tray tubes are telescoped and the trays rest uponone another, a turn of the tubes 6 causes them to become locked by theprojections 8 entering the notches 11. \Vhen it is required to extendthe tubes and support the trays, the tubes (3 are turned to withdraw theprojections 8 from the notches 11, and an upward pull upon the ring 17causes an outward sliding of the tubes. The top or inner tubes 2 and 0being positively connected in the manner set forth move upward together,and when the top tube 2 has moved a distance to bring the shoulders orstops 4 and 5 into contact the tube 2 next in order will move upward,and so on with all the tubes 2, each moving in regular order as thestops 4 and 5 of the succeeding tubes come into play. When the tubes areextended to their utmost limit, they are fixed by turning the tubes 6 toeffect engagement of the interlocking means or entrance of theprojections 8 into the upper notches 10. The exhibitor is closed byturning the tubes 6 to unseat the projections 8 and permitting the tubesto telescope and the trays to settle upon one another.

hen the tray-tubes are required to be held from turning, they may beangular in cross-section, as shown in Fig. 5, or if round afeather-and-spline connection 19 may be provided between them, as shownin Fig. 6.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. In anexhibitor, a series of trays arranged the one above the other invertical relation, a corresponding series of tubes telescopicallyrelated, each bearing a tray, and an extensible support for holding thetubes extended and the trays vertically spaced, substantially asdescribed.

2. In an exhibitor, a series of trays arranged the one above the otherin vertical relation, a corresponding series of tubes telescopicallyrelated, each bearing a tray, an extensible support com posed oftelescoping sections, and interlocking means between the sections of thesupport, substantially as set forth.

In an exhibitor, a series of trays arranged the one above the other invertical relation, a corresponding series of tubes telescopicallyrelated, each bearing a tray, an extensible support arranged within thetubes bearing the trays and provided with interlocking means andcomposed of telescoping sections, the extreme sections of: theextensible support and the end tray-tubes being connected, substantiallyas described.

4'. In an exhibitor,- a series of trays arranged the one above the otherin vertical relation, a corresponding series of tubes telescopicallyrelated, each bearing a tray, an extensible support composed oftelescoping sections of greater length than the tray-tubes and in lessnumber, and interlocking means between the sections of the extensiblesupport, substantially as described.

5. In an exhibitor, a series of trays arranged the one above the otherin vertical relation, a corresponding series of tubes telescopicallyrelated, each bearing a tray, an extensible support composed oftelescoping tubes, certain of the tubes having longitudinal slots formedwith lateral notches, and projections applied to certain others of thetubes to cooperate with the longitudinal slots and notches thereof, asand for the purpose described.

6. An exhibitor composed of a vertical series of superposedtrays,telescopically-related tubes of polygonal cross-section applied tothe respective trays, and an extensible support stops to limit theirextension, trays applied to the upper ends of the tubes, an extensiblesupport having interlocking means, a ring loosely applied to the topmosttray-tube, and a finger-grip applied to the ring and connecting it withthe top section of the extensible support, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of twoWitnesses.

FRANK K. UNDERWOOD. LILLIE E. HAWKINS.

-l [1,. s] Witnesses:

MARGARET WRIGHT,

JOHN T. LAoEY.

